Significant strides have been made at Case Western Reserve University in achieving our goals of developing broad-based academic clinical, education, and research programs at our affiliated institutions. A stated objective of our OAIC Research Development core is to attract new and established investigators into aging-related research. We are enhancing research productivity and capability within our own geriatric medicine division, and broadening University-wide participation in aging-related research and training activities. Interest has been stimulated by new NIA, VA and foundation initiatives and their involvement as sponsors in our research training program. The Junior faculty development program of the Research Development Core will serve as a natural extension of our NIA research fellowship and Bureau of Health Professions' Medicine/Dentistry training programs in meeting our goal of training future academic faculty in Geriatric Medicine. The Research Development Core, directed by Jerome Kowal, MD, with the assistance of Drs. Ford, Roberts, Landefeld, Mader, and Kahana, will increase clinical research training by providing expanded support for: (i) research training of talented junior faculty, (ii) a strong pilot project program to support career development and the proposed interventional studies, (iii) a unique six-month core curriculum, Faculty Development Training in Geriatric Clinical Care, which will coordinate the expertise at CWRU in clinical, epidemiological, health services research, biostatistics, cost-benefit analysis as well as courses in social gerontology, (iv) enhanced links with other Centers and research programs at CWRU to expand research training opportunities, and to attract other talented faculty to aging research compatible with OAIC goals. This Core will coordinate recruiting activities of junior faculty and fellows in Geriatric Medicine, General Medicine and other subspecialties to support research activities in aging. It will provide flexible mechanisms of pilot project support, leveraging funds from this grant with other funding sources for this activity. Emphasis will be placed on new research collaborations that fill gaps in our current spectrum of OAIC-supported clinical and basic research. We seek to increase interest in clinical investigation by developing strong didactic training programs, such as the proposed Faculty Development Training in Geriatric Clinical Care. The Research Development Core will be guided by a Steering Committee, made up of key faculty, which will oversee junior faculty development, the didactic training program and pilot project selection and monitoring.